Secrets and Lies: A Truth and Lies Collection
by BubblyShell22
Summary: Everyone tells lies and everyone keeps secrets, but sometimes one wonders if it's worth it to conceal the truth. A collection of one shots and drabbles set in the Truth and Lies universe.
1. Chapter 1

Secrets and Lies: A Truth and Lies Collection

Chapter 1: Secret Sister

A/N: I'm back with yet another story set in the Truth and Lies universe. This is a collection of one shots and drabbles told by all of the characters in the Truth and Lies universe. I'm so excited to get started on this as I've had it in my head since yesterday. I hope you all enjoy it and continue to stick with me as I plot this out.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters are property of Nickelodeon. I only own the plot of this story and nothing more.

Summary: Everyone tells lies and everyone keeps secrets, but sometimes one wonders if it's worth it to conceal the truth. A collection of one shots and drabbles set in the Truth and Lies universe.

April O'Neil was good at keeping secrets. She remembered a time when she secretly took one of her mom's tubes of lipstick and wore it during school even though her dad had prohibited her from doing so. She wore it all day and was able to sneak the lipstick back and wipe off the evidence before Kirby found out. Even then, she had the makings of a kunoichi though she didn't know it then. She was also good at keeping secrets about the guys and not telling anyone about them for fear that someone would discover them. That was a secret she was willing to keep all to herself.

But there was one secret she didn't want to keep and that was about her sister, Robyn. Robyn was her twin sister who had been sent to a mental institution after attempting to kill April. At first, April was angry at her and was glad that Robyn was locked up, but over time, all of that changed, and she missed her sister. After her father had been kidnapped, April longed for Robyn to be with her to comfort her, but she wasn't there. Yes, she had the Turtles, but it wasn't the same.

One day, Mikey sat with April in the living area of the Lair with his drawing pad on his lap. It was something he did in his spare time and something he liked to keep to himself so that his brothers wouldn't make fun of him. He fixed his blue eyes on her and asked, "Hey, April, have you ever had a secret you've been dying to tell someone?"

April faltered a bit, thinking of Robyn and how she wished that she could tell her new friends about her. But then her dad's warning came into her head. "You can't tell anyone about her, April. We can't let anyone know who she is until she gets better." April had kept the promise, but it was killing her not to tell Mikey or the others.

"I'm sure we all have secrets like that, but sometimes it's a good idea to just keep them to ourselves," she replied.

"So what's your secret?" Mikey asked her.

"If I told you that, it wouldn't be a secret, would it?" she teased him.

"But we're friends, April. Don't friends share secrets?"

"It depends on the secret, Mikey. I'm sure you have secrets that you don't want to share with me, right?"

"Well, yeah, that's true."

"And you know secrets about your brothers that you won't share because they've asked you not to."

Mikey nodded. "Well, I only do that for Raph because he'll beat the green off me if I do. But I do it for Don and Leo because I know they'd want me to do it."

"Well, I'm the same way. Some secrets are better left where they are. I haven't told anyone about you guys, and I never will because I care about you that much."

"Yeah, but you can tell me what you're hiding," begged Mikey. "I promise I won't tell anyone, and I'll keep it to myself."

The urge to tell Mikey about Robyn was consuming her, but April shook her head. No, she'd made a promise to her dad not to reveal the secret, and it would stay with her until the day she died.

"I'm sorry, Mikey, but I can't," she said gently. "I made a promise to someone, and you can't break a promise."

It looked like Mikey wanted to say more, but he closed his mouth. "Yeah, I understand that," he said softly. "Don't worry about it, April. But if you ever get permission to tell, you know you can always come to me."

April gave him a hug. "Thanks, Mikey," she said. "That means a lot to me."

Over time, April replayed that conversation and really wanted to tell her friends about Robyn. Each time she thought of it, she remembered the promise she'd made her to her dad and to her sister. She would keep the secret until the day she died along with the secret about the Turtles. That was just the way it worked for her, and as it turned out, she kept her promise to the end of her life, though she never knew that it was going to be her sister who would end her life that day. But if she had known what her friends were going to go through after her death, she would have told them then and there about Robyn so all of the heartache her friends went through wouldn't have happened. She blamed herself for all of it, and she also blamed her dad. If he hadn't made her swear not to tell anyone, all of this could have been avoided. Now all she could do was watch her friends suffer and not be able to do anything about it. And it was then that she came to a realization.

Some secrets weren't worth dying for.

A/N: So that's the end of that little chapter. I hope you liked it. I want to try and update this as much as I can, but it's going to be hard with all of the other stories I have to do as well. I'll just do the best I can and leave it at that, okay? Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: True Hero

A/N: Here's another chapter featuring Leo. I thought it would be cool to delve into his reaction to April's disappearance and how he met Maddie since Holding Out for a Hero was told in her perspective. So here you go. Thanks to all of those who have read and reviewed thus far. Your kind words have been great.

Disclaimer: TMNT and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon. I only own the plot and Madison.

Leo had always wanted to be a hero like Captain Ryan. He would watch "Space Heroes" every day and try to emulate his cartoon idol. His brothers never understood his fascination with the show or the character, but to Leo, Captain Ryan was great. He did things not many would dare to do, and Leo admired that about him. Ever since being made leader of his clan, Leo tried his best to do what Captain Ryan would do, though Splinter often told him that he had to be his own leader and not try to be like everyone else. Leo didn't understand why Splinter felt that way about Captain Ryan, but Leo ignored him and did things his own way sometimes. The biggest thing he wanted to do was to be able to protect his family and friends.

And yet he had failed when April disappeared.

He had vowed to protect her, but he hadn't walked her home when she declined. He should have been more forceful and insisted on walking her home, but he had given in to her stubborn nature and had let her walk home herself.

Some hero he was. Captain Ryan would have never done that. He could picture Captain Ryan looking at him with a stern look on his face. "You're a horrible leader, Cadet Leonardo," he would scold. "You let a helpless girl walk all alone and didn't protect her. You are not a true hero!" Thinking of that made Leo's heart ache for it was true.

He was jumping the rooftops and searching for April when he heard someone in distress. His instinct was to ignore it because he probably wouldn't be able to save them anyway, but a voice in his head urged him to check it out. He found a girl who was probably his age being harassed by Purple Dragons. Leo leapt in and defended her, scaring off the gang members. He braced himself for her to scream and run from him, but she didn't.

Instead, she thanked him and began talking to him about "Space Heroes." He was fascinated that she liked the show as much as he did, and it wasn't long before they began a spirited conversation about the show. It made Leo feel good to know that she liked his favorite show and that she wasn't bothered by his appearance.

After he escorted her home, Leo smiled to himself. He was lucky he had found Madison and hoped that they would have a tight bond. And as Leo made his way home, he knew that he really was a hero who could do the right thing when the situation called for it. He still felt guilty about April and what had happened, but by befriending Madison and saving her, maybe he was making up for that failure.

Splinter was waiting up for him when he got home. "How was your run, my son?" he asked.

"It was fine, Sensei," Leo answered. "I didn't find any leads on April, but I did make a new friend."

"And will she keep your identity a secret?"

"I think she will, Sensei," Leo replied. "I'm going to bed now. Good night."

"Good night, Leonardo," Splinter answered.

As Leo settled into bed, he looked up at the poster of Captain Ryan that hung above his bed. He knew Captain Ryan would be proud of him for what he'd done today and he could picture Captain Ryan saying to him, "Good job, Cadet Leonardo. You have truly proven yourself as a hero." With that last thought in his head, Leo fell asleep with a smile on his face.

A/N: And another chapter is done. Yep, it was short, but it was supposed to be as some of these chapters will be like that. It just depends on how long I can carry them out or how long I want them to be. Feel free to leave a review and have a shelltastic day.


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